Sir Graham Watson | |
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President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party | |
In office 25 November 2011 – 21 November 2015 |
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Preceded by | Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck |
Succeeded by | Hans van Baalen |
Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament | |
In office 13 July 2004 – 1 July 2009 |
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Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Guy Verhofstadt |
Leader of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party in the European Parliament | |
In office 6 January 2002 – 13 July 2004 |
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Preceded by | Pat Cox |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Member of the European Parliament for South West England |
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In office 20 July 1999 – 2 July 2014 |
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Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | Clare Moody |
Member of the European Parliament for Somerset and North Devon |
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In office 18 July 1994 – 20 July 1999 |
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Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
Personal details | |
Born |
Rothesay, United Kingdom |
23 March 1956
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Spouse(s) | Rita Watson |
Children | 1 daughter 1 son |
Alma mater | Heriot-Watt University |
Website | Official website |
Sir Graham Robert Watson (born 23 March 1956) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He served as a Member of the European Parliament for South West England from 1994 until 2014 and was the leader of the Group of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party 2002–2004 and the first leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe 2004–2009. From 2011 until 2015 he was the President of the ALDE Party.
Graham Watson was born in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute (Scotland, United Kingdom). His father was an officer in the Royal Navy and his mother a teacher. Watson was educated at the City of Bath Boys' School, where he played violin in the school orchestra. He later returned to Scotland to attend Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh where he graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in modern languages. He worked first as a freelance interpreter and translator and then (1980–83) as an administrator at Paisley College of Technology. He now speaks four European languages.